Advertisement

Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores hired by Steelers amid lawsuit

Flores will continue to sue the NFL for racial discrimination while serving as Pittsburgh’s senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach.
 
Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores speaks during a Sept. 8, 2019 news conference after a game against the Baltimore Ravens. Flores has joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach but will continue his racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL.
Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores speaks during a Sept. 8, 2019 news conference after a game against the Baltimore Ravens. Flores has joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach but will continue his racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL. [ BRYNN ANDERSON | AP ]
Published Feb. 20, 2022|Updated Feb. 20, 2022

When former Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit accusing the NFL of racial discrimination, he acknowledged the litigation might jeopardize his coaching future.

Flores, however, will be on an NFL sideline for the 2022 season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have hired Flores as senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach, the team announced Saturday.

“I am excited about Brian Flores joining our coaching staff given his history of developing and teaching defensive players during his time in the NFL,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement. “Brian’s resume speaks for itself, and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team.”

Flores filed his lawsuit on the first day of February, listing the NFL, Dolphins, New York Giants and Denver Broncos as defendants. He is accusing the league of racial discrimination in its hiring and firing process, as well as claims Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered $100,000 per loss during the 2019 season. Ross has denied those allegations and said he will cooperate with the league’s investigation into the claims. Commissioner Roger Goodell called Flores’ allegations “disturbing” and said the league would take those claims “very seriously.”

Flores was fired in January after three seasons and a 24-25 record. In a statement released Saturday, Flores’ lawyers said he will continue to pursue the litigation despite being hired by the Steelers.

“We congratulate Coach Flores on his new position with the Steelers and thank Coach Tomlin and the organization for giving him this great opportunity,” Douglas H. Wigdor and John Elefterakis said. “While Coach Flores is now focused on his new position, he will continue with his race discrimination class action so that real change can be made in the NFL.”

The NFL and Dolphins have since hired lawyers to prepare their defense against Flores’ accusations. The league has hired the firm of former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, according to Bloomberg, and Ross has hired William “Bill” Burck, partner at business litigation firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, a source confirmed to the Miami Herald. Burck also represented New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft when he was charged with misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution in Palm Beach County. The charges against Kraft were dropped.

Bruce Beal, who has the right of first refusal to purchase the Dolphins, is being represented by Boies Schiller Flexner partner Joshua Schiller, according to the report.

Flores joins a Steelers team that finished 9-7-1 and advanced to the wild-card round of the playoffs, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. Tomlin, one of five minority head coaches in the NFL, has been an advocate for increasing diversity in the league’s hiring practices. Tomlin is a board member of the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches, an organization whose mission is “preparing, promoting, and producing minority coaches at all levels of football.”

The Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview two external minority interviews for head coaching opportunities, as well as one minority interview for coordinator and senior-level positions like general manager, was named after Dan Rooney, the Steelers’ former owner and chairman of the league’s diversity committee.

Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene

Subscribe to our free Sports Today newsletter

We’ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida’s college football teams every day.

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

The Dolphins are scheduled to host the Steelers in the 2022 season.

• • •

Sign up for the Bucs RedZone newsletter to get updates and analysis on the latest team and NFL news from Bucs beat writer Joey Knight.

Never miss out on the latest with the Bucs, Rays, Lightning, Florida college sports and more. Follow our Tampa Bay Times sports team on Twitter and Facebook.